Black Friday Showdowns: Which College Football Rivalry Will Deliver the Ultimate Upset?
Black Friday — once the sacred battleground of bargain hunters elbowing each other for the last discounted toaster — has quietly been turning into a gridiron fest. The NFL might just be catching up, having recently dipped its toes into games on the chaotic day after Thanksgiving, but college football? Oh, college football has been running this play for years. This year’s Black Friday spotlight is shining on two SEC rivalries that never fail to ignite passions and keep fans glued to their seats (or sofas): the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and the Lone Star Showdown, Texas versus Texas A&M. If you thought Black Friday was only about snagging deals, think again. Have we finally found a better “doorbuster”—one involving bone-crunching tackles and crowd chants instead of plastic crap shoved into carts? Whether you’re nestled comfortably at home or braving the crowds at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, the post-Thanksgiving lineup promises plenty of gridiron fireworks to savor. Ready to swap mall madness for football frenzy? LEARN MORE.
NFL fans may be relatively new to watching football on Black Friday as the league has only recently introduced games to be broadcast the day after Thanksgiving.
But while the league has yet to announce its schedule, college football has played games on the day for a while, and two big rivalry games will be on Black Friday this year too.
According to The Athletic’s Ralph D. Russo, Black Friday 2025 will see two big SEC football games as the Ole Miss-Mississippi State game (the Egg Bowl) and Texas-Texas A&M (the Lone Star Showdown) take the stage.
The Egg Bowl game will be played in Starkville this season, while the Lone Star Showdown will be at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
“Black Friday for both the Egg Bowl and Texas-Texas A&M, the schools announce. Ole Miss at Mississippi State, noon ET. Texas A&M at Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET,” The Athletic’s Ralph D. Russo wrote on X.
Black Friday for both the Egg Bowl and Texas-Texas A&M, the schools announce.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State, noon ET
Texas A&M at Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) May 8, 2025
For decades Black Friday has been the property of major retailers who put out their biggest sales of the year and have people ready to break down doors to get their limited quantity goods.
But in recent years, with the “doorbusters” feeling a lot less door-busting-worthy than years past, sports have stepped in to fill the void. The NFL, as has so often been the case, has decided to fill the gap a bit, recently introducing a series of Black Friday games.
But college football has been playing games on Fridays for quite a bit longer than the NFL has. A bunch of big college football games and rivalries have been getting featured on the Friday after Thanksgiving for years and years.
In 2024 alone, over a dozen games were featured on Black Friday including the Big Ten tilt between Iowa and Nebraska, the Georgia-Georgia Tech game, and several more games involving top-25 ranked teams.
Suffice it to say, there will be a LOT of options for anyone who will be spending Black Friday at home with the family – or has the time to go visit their favorite team.
Which Black Friday games are you looking forward to?
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